CrossTimber Name Products- A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

If you are looking for personalized gifts for this holiday season, be sure to check out CrossTimber’s 8×10 Plaque print; and AmazingName Print Activity Sheets. With so many options to choose from, deciding what to order may be the hardest part of the process. It excited me to determine what plaque to order.

CrossTimber offers a variety of products and choices to select from including their 8×10 Plaque prints, bookmarks, Activity sheets, music boxes, mugs, NameCards™ and more. Once you decide on what type of product want, a variety of choices face you.

For this review, we received an 8×10 Plaque print with one of the new, printable activity sets.  For the print, we could select from one, two, or three names. Because our children are all 18 and up now, I ordered a print for my husband and myself. I thought it would go along beautifully with a crocheted piece with our last name on it that my sister-in-law made several years ago. Eventually, when we get our “forever” home, this print could find a prominent place in our living room.

The website provides detailed instruction on the options available and the steps for ordering. As a military family, I appreciated how they included instructions for shipping to military addresses overseas besides the instructions for ordering in the United States.

Once I determined I wanted to order a plaque with two names, I easily located the tab for “Multi-Name” plaques. Once there, I browsed the different options available for specifically for couples. A variety of backgrounds including ones for Faith & Encouragement, Castles & Lighthouses, Butterflies, and more are available.Finally, I determined I wanted the print with two hands. I easily input our names, checked to make sure it was correct, and then placed my order. Options are available to simply have them send a PDF of the plaque, a printed copy of just the plaque (which we received), or to have it framed. A variety of frames are available if you elect to order your print framed.

You also can elect to pay for them to send you a preview to make sure everything appears correctly before printing. In the rare instance something goes wrong, they also provide step-by-step instructions for dealing with the various issues that may arise, such as receiving the wrong item, damage during shipping and so forth.

When we received the plaque, it included our names, the meaning of our names along with the origins of our name. Two verses of Scripture appear on the bottom. The colors are rich and vibrant. I look forward to framing it and displaying it in our home.

For the AmazingName Print Activity Sheets, I elected to use our daughter’s name. We received a variety of pages including printing sheets, cursive sheets, mazes, crossword puzzles, word searches and more. The pages appear to be on quality paper with color and more. I definitely could see our daughter loving these pages when she was younger.

You can find CrossTimber on social media on Facebook and Pinterest.

For me, I find the company seems to do everything possible to provide an excellent customer experience. I found the site easy to navigate and the company a pleasure to order from with the items arriving on time and as expected.

So if you are looking for personalized gifts including name meaning gifts, framed name meaning prints, bookmarks, and more, check out CrossTimber‘s 8×10 Plaque print; and AmazingName Print Activity Sheets. With so many options to choose from, I am sure you will find something to satisfy your shopping needs.

Other members of the Home School Review share about the plaques, bookmarks, and their experiences with this company this week. So click here or on the graphic below to read more of their reviews.

#hsreviews #personalizedgifts #namemeaninggifts #amazingname #crosstimber #meaningfulgifts

Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Romans bundle and Faith Journey Bible Study Series: Philippians from Julie Naturally – A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Julie Polanco of Julie Naturally has two new bible studies for women: Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Romans bundle and Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Philippians.  I elected to start by using the Romans study for my personal Bible time.  For quite a while, I have followed Julie Polanco’s blog and am pleased to take part in this review. For this review, I received access to the Romans’ Study Bundle, which included a downloadable stud of the PDF, Memory verse cards, coloring pages, and videos Julie Polanco created to go with the study.  For my purposes, I primarily elected to complete the pages on my iPad.  Here is an example.  I love being able to just take my tablet and Bible rather than having to take more things with me.  

Julie Polanco grew up in the Lutheran church, but she gave her life to Christ while in college.  Throughout the years, she has served in various areas and roles including  Children’s Ministries, VBS, worship leader, deaconess, small group leader, and as a Titus 2 mentor.

Throughout the pages of these studies, her heart for God shines through every word.  These studies are perfect for older students and homeschooling mothers.  The Romans study takes 8 weeks to complete with 6 days of lesson per week.  I elected to begin each week watching the video for the lesson.  From there I began doing a lesson a day, including studying the memory work for the week.  Then on Sundays, I completed the coloring page for the lesson.

The studies require reading passages of Scripture in the Bible, along with answering open-ended questions.  I feel this study would be perfect for the moms who attend a homeschooling group together to complete.  I also think it would be perfect for moms with older daughters to complete together. Having three sons and a daughter, I easily would have used this with my sons before they graduated.  I even think husbands and wives could complete the studies together.  Although I am not sure if all men would want to complete the coloring pages.

These lessons require thought and meditation rather than just filling in blanks.  I appreciate this.  However, I wish she provided some insight into how she would answer the questions personally.  Sometimes I struggled with a desire to know my answers were correct.

While I enjoyed the messages of the video, those individuals who require perfect or professionally done videos may have some problems with these videos.

I think the coloring pages provided an excellent feature in this study.  Some coloring pages included designs and patterns while other pages included words.

Families may complete the Philippians study in 4 weeks.  Again, the study material includes daily sections to complete.  Coloring pages, memory verses, and open-ended questions need to complete.  On the first day, the first requirement involves watching the video.  Then comes reading the passage of Scripture along with answering questions.   Again,  hide God’s Word in your heart using the included memory verses.  You can decide for yourself how to go about memorizing those passages.        

You can find Julie Polanco on social media at the following links:

Facebook: facebook.com/julienaturally
Instagram: instagram.com/successful.unschooler
Pinterest: pinterest.com/julienaturally
YouTube: youtube.com/c/julienaturally

So if you are looking for a Bible Study for women, I suggest exploring Julie Polanco’s Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Romans bundle and Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Philippians for yourself.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew share their experiences with these studies this week. So click here or on the graphic below to read more of their reviews.

#hsreviews #julienaturally, #juliepolanco, #faithjourneys

Economics Online Course Bundle from Boundary Stone – A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

If you are looking for a self-paced homeschool economics course, I suggest checking out Boundary Stone’s Economics Online Course Bundle. Our youngest son has been looking at college requirements for the degree he wants to pursue and discovered economics provides credit for one of his choices. So we decided this course bundle would provide an excellent taste of what economics looks like as a course. This Christian economics course deserves your exploration. Families have access to the hardback textbook Basic Economics, A Natural Law Approach to Economics, four edition along with online access or 12 months to the course, a PDF of the 128 page Teacher’s Guide and access to a Budget Mini Course.

Boundary Stone provides a Christian based view of economics, which pleased my husband myself. Having a Christian viewpoint provides one of the first requirements we have for most curriculum. Having a Scriptural backed view of economics serves as something we wanted our son to experience.

This course includes lessons online, reading assignments, and quizzes. Students may repeat the quizzes as needed, except for the very first diagnostic quiz. The textbook includes reading assignments and study guides that provide identification (words to define essentially), review questions, activities, along with suggestions for activities for further study.

Topics covered in the course include: 

• The Framework of Economics
• The Production and Distribution of Goods
• Politico-Economic Systems

Within those topics, students examine subjects such as Government, Society and Morality, Property, Scarcity and Economy, How We Get What We Want, Failed Attempts to Control the Prices, and more.  Having experienced the Coronavirus and its effects on the world’s economy and the availability of goods and services, I feel this course provides an excellent examination of our experiences since March.

Having gone through two economics courses in college–macroeconomics, and microeconomics, I knew what he could expect. However, I have to say these two courses provided two of the worst experiences of my college career. So I prayed his experience would be better. Because most of this course occurs online, a high-speed Internet connection along with a copy of the textbook fills the largest requirements.

Dr. Paul Cleveland founded Boundary Stone.  Having worked as a professor for over 35 years, he studied and pondered the issues of political economy.  Using ways that even include story-telling to make the elusive concepts of economics to students. His background also includes writing and travels extensively lecturing about political economics along with many other activities.

I appreciate the self-pacing of this course. Families can adapt the schedule to fit their needs. As my son began the class, he felt like too much Biblical content overshadowed the actual economics portion. But he also felt like the textbook did an excellent job of explaining the material. In fact, the textbook provided his favorite part of the course. Written by Clarence Carson and Paul Cleveland, the textbook provides reading assignments, quotes, points of emphasis, a summary, a glossary of terms, and more.

Students watch videos, whose length seems reasonable.  The quality of these videos appears to be excellent.  The quality of the sound is excellent.  Few distractions appear to be present.

An optional budget project provides students with excellent instruction, information, and experience with constructing a budget.  My husband and I find this optional section to be valuable.  Families may elect to work on the budget project one day a week.

You can find Boundary Stone on Social Media at the following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrPaulCleveland
Twitter:https://twitter.com/DrPaulCleveland
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf4qWz28QJO80oB-aanH9Sw

I feel compelled to say how much I appreciate how this course examines the political effects on the economy in the United States.  I fervently wish for my children to stand for Biblical and conservative values along with fiscal responsibility.  I feel this course provides an excellent framework for those ideas.

So if you are looking for a Christian high school economics course, I suggest exploring the self-paced homeschool economics course, I suggest checking out Boundary Stone’s Economics Online Course Bundle.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew share their thoughts over on the blog this week. So click here or on the graphic below to read their reviews.

#hsreviews #boundarystone #basiceconomics

Python for Beginners: Learn Coding at Home – A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

If you are looking for a homeschool computer programming course, I suggest checking out Python for Beginners: Learn Coding at Home from Homeschool Code Academy. As a blogger, I am always desiring to learn more about coding so I can do more with my blog; I appreciated the opportunity to review this online product. This course lived up to my expectations. This online course requires a computer, downloading the Python program, a good Internet connection, and probably some patience will help.

Ideally, I wanted to work on this course three times a week. Unfortunately, my schedule did not always allow this. But I completed at least two days a week. The structure of the course requires students to work through the lessons in order. So students who already know a lot about computers may find the first few lessons tedious.

Matt Bohn provides the instruction for this course. With over 18 years of profession experience, he presents the material in a straight-forward and clear manner. Being self-taught prior to getting his degree allows him to talk to those with little or no programming experience. I also feel the presentation of the material ensures parents do not need to have coding experience themselves.

Within this course, students learn:

• the basics of computers
• working with output
• Working with variables and keyboard input
• Doing Math with Python
• Lists and Tuples
• Turtle Graphics
• Writing Programs that Make Decisions
• Loops – Writing Code that Repeats and Counts
• Reusing Code with Functions
• Getting Unpredictable with Random Numbers
• Space Game Code Along Project

Once students complete the introductory materials discussing the basics of the computer and its various components, students dive right into coding exercises and challenges. I think one of my favorite things about this course comes from Matt’s demonstration of both correct coding and incorrect coding. I also appreciate how he breaks each section into smaller pieces. So children with busy schedules can complete work in ways that fit your family.

If my children were doing this program and were younger, I would probably elect to have them complete one small chunk in between other subjects in order to give them a break. Between the lessons and the challenges, I found this course extremely enjoyable to complete.

Providing directions for shortcuts to help code quicker impressed me. However, I have one desire for this course. I wish instructions for both PCs and MAC computers for the download. When installing Thonny (the program used to create the Python code) Mr. Bohn only provides the instructions for PCs. MAC users need to figure it out for themselves.

When he presented the challenges, I appreciated the PDF downloads being given. Another recommendation given, I strongly urge families to use comes from having two screens. Because I have both a MAC desktop and a MAC laptop, I had the videos open on my desktop (which has a larger screen) and completed the coding on my laptop. An alternative to two screens would be to use a split screen feature.

One of my favorite activities in this course was creating code to take text and have it spoken out loud. Here is a video of it.

You can find Homeschool Code Academy on Social Media at the following links: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

So if you are looking for a Homeschool Computer Programming course for your family, I suggest you check out Python for Beginners: Learn Coding at Home from Homeschool Code Academy.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew are sharing their thoughts on this product this week. So click here or on the graphic below to read their reviews.

#hsreviews #codingforkids #teachkidstocode #homeschool #pythonprogramming

Bible Unearthed from Drive Thru History® Adventures – A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Because we love Dave Stotts and Drive Thru History® Adventures, we were super excited to receive Bible Unearthed to review. Over the past several years, our family reviewed several courses and products from Drive Thru History® Adventures. Dave Stotts brings history to life, especially in how it relates to the Bible. While the Drive Thru History® takes viewers on a journey through history, Bible Unearthed goes. behind the scenes and involves Dave Stotts, his friend, and expert, Titus Kennedy, PhD, along with longtime travel companion and Drive Thru History® writer, Randall Niles, to explore archaeology, the Bible, and History. Our family appreciates how finds in the Holy Land and archaeology weave together to illustrate proof for the teachings in the Bible.

When you log into the course, a series of background items appear including the Course Guide, an explanation of how to use the worksheets and answer guides that accompany each lesson, and how to use the community and additional articles that are available. Families may use the course guide to create a schedule for the course that works best for individual needs.  So this means if your family has a busy week, you could just watch the videos.  If you have more time, you could become more involved in the additional material.  Adjust requirements based on the ages and abilities involved to create the perfect course for your family.

The videos take approximately 15 minutes to watch. The quality of the picture and the sound provide an excellent viewing experience. We loved how the three men interacted. It seemed like they really enjoyed working and talking together.  We also appreciated how we learned about the life of an archaeologist and how they approach doing their jobs.

The videos weave together Biblical references, archaeological discoveries, archaeological processes, and scenes from episodes of Drive Thru History®. After each episode, reading material appears under the video along with downloads for the worksheets and answer keys. 

For those families with younger children, your family could watch the video together.  For families with slightly older children, elect to fill out some questions on the worksheets or discuss them together. For older students and adults in the family like ours, watching the videos together and then reading the material on the screen along with the additional articles plus reading the worksheets and answering the questions on the worksheets provide the perfect level of involvement.

For our family,  we elected to watch the videos together and then discuss them.  I allowed everyone to decide whether to answer the questions and read the extra articles for themselves.  I elected to add the worksheets to my tablet so I could work on them while at appointments or other places.  Plus, it eliminates paper clutter around our home.

You can find Drive Thru History® on social media at the following links: 

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

This course resonated with our family because it combines the Bible, History, and archaeology together into a meaningful, informative, and interesting package.  So if your family desires to learn more about how the Bible intersects with archaeology and history, check out Bible Unearthed from Dave Stotts and Drive Thru History® Adventures.  This course provides information and entertainment while potentially creating an interest in archaeology at the same time.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew share their thoughts and experiences on this program this week on the Home School Review Crew blog, so click here or on the graphic below to read more reviews.

#hsreviews #bibleunearthed

THINKWELL’S INSTRUCTOR-LED GEOMETRY – A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way.

Thinkwell Homeschool overs online courses such as Thinkwell’s Instructor-Led Geometry . As a student, I loved math and excelled at it. However, the math genes appear to have skipped my children. So I am always on the look-out for math programs for our children. Our daughter especially seems to struggle with math. So I wanted her to try an instructor-led program for Geometry from Thinkwell Homeschool. However, our daughter was not ready mentally for this program. Plus, I felt it best to go through the program myself first to see if I believed she could handle the pace and activities of this online course.

Thinkwell Homeschool offers a variety of instructor-led courses including THINKWELL’S INSTRUCTOR-LED ALGEBRA 1, and THINKWELL’S INSTRUCTOR-LED ALGEBRA 2.  Placement tests are provided to ensure students enroll in the correct class for them.  Another advantage of these courses rests in the fact the courses are NCAA approved. 

With this program families get:

• An 18-week, online subscription to our 1st semester Geometry course
• Emails weekly that contain courses assignments as well as lesson plans
• Regular student progress reports
• Instructional videos that are detailed
• Automatically graded assignments with step-by-step answer feedback
• Downloadable and printable course worksheets, and answer keys
• Illustrated course study notes – great for referring back to
• Section quizzes that are automatically graded
• Chapter and Practices Tests, a Midterm, and a Final Exam
• Animated interactive activities and more

HOW IT WORKS:

Families purchase the course through their online store. Then you create an account username and password in order to gain access to the online course on the start date. Students then follow the assignments, which are emailed out weekly. The work is automatically graded and tracked in real-time. Virtual office hours provide additional help and interaction. Upon request, transcripts, grade reports, and certificates of completion may be provided.

Each week we receive an email telling us what the requirements were for each week. Here is an image of an email.

Each week, a warm-up is the first activity students complete. I found the warm-ups to be reasonable in scope and detail. Here is a completed warm-up.

Dr. Edward Berger provides the actual instruction in videos. We aimed to complete videos, worksheets, and warm-ups, and quizzes and tests three days a week with the other two days geared towards the office hours provided for additional help. Here is a sample of a Course Notes page.

Students may take part in office hours twice a week. They conduct these sessions on Zoom. Instructor Julie Welch & T.A. Sarah Flood provide ample opportunities to check on students’ progress, answer questions, and provide time to interact and even to play games.

Because the end of the grading period is Friday, October 23, this week we received an email telling us that they would send progress reports out next week. As a parent, I can see the grades for tests and quizzes on the website for those activities which have been completed. I appreciate how immediately after completing a worksheet, quiz, or test, the course provides immediate feedback on the submitted work. Students see what questions they answered correctly or incorrectly, but also the explanations for the answers. Another feature I love is they may repeat how most if not all activities multiple times. Because I believe students need to master mathematics to move forward, this feature resonated positively with me.

I firmly believe students should have a firm foundation in math before attempting this course.  I also believe students struggle with math may or may not be successful with this course.  I think it depends on the dedication of the student.  I definitely feel like the instructors will provide all help needed for students to thrive in these courses.

You can find Thinkwell Homeschool on Social media at the following links:  Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

So if you are looking for an instructor-led math course for your high school students, check out Thinkwell’s Instructor-Led Geometry for yourself.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew are sharing their thoughts and experiences with this course as well as THINKWELL’S INSTRUCTOR-LED ALGEBRA 1, THINKWELL’S INSTRUCTOR-LED ALGEBRA 2, So click here or on the graphic below to read their reviews.

#hsreviews #thinkwellhomeschool #mathonline #onlinehomeschooling #homeschoolalgebra #homeschoolgeometry #onlinemath #algebrahelp

NatureGlo’s eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle – A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

If you favor a relaxed homeschool science approach, you’ll want to check out NatureGlo’s eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle from NatureGlo’s eScience. With selections covering topics ranging from math in Art to Marine Biology to sharks to geology and more families should find everything they desire for Science. Combing short unit studies with only one to a few lessons, 3 week courses, and 6 week courses, selections suit every family’s needs.  Because the learning occurs online a reliable, fast Internet connection must be available.

Gloria Brooks started teaching/facilitating numerous homeschool and unschooled students around the world.  She holds a bachelors’ degree in K-12 education along with certifications from the Wilderness Awareness school.  She also has over 20 years of eclectic teaching and student self-directected learning experiences in both private schools as well as online courses through NatureGlo’s eScience (which provides a one-stop e-learning center for students ages 10 and up that is nature-based)

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My daughter and I appreciate the flexibility of being able to pick and choose from a variety of courses to create the perfect learning experience.  We have the flexibility to select from courses with only a few lessons to ones that are 6 weeks in length.  Because we elected to take a relaxes approach to science, she found this site perfect for her needs.

All lessons include a mixture of instructional videos, activities, additional resources including downloads, online quizzes, websites to visit and more. As students move through the courses, they mark the lessons as complete. Once families log in to the site, tabs are available to select the dashboard, their courses, their grades, achievements, certificates, notifications and more.

On the grade page, students can track their progress and see their grades.

For this review, our high school daughter elected to begin with courses on Leonardo da Vinici.  She has studied him in the past and wanted to learn more about him, considering she loves art.  The Life and Mathematical Art of Leonardo da Vinci consists of two lessons. The lessons focus on a pre-lesson about The Mona Lisa, a main lesson that includes videos, websites to visit, and suggested activities, along with a second lesson focused on da Vinci’s Platonic Solids and his notebooks.  Given that our daughter has accumulated a number of notebooks filled with her drawings and artistic endeavors, she appreciated this course.  She completed an online quiz about what items da Vinci drew actually became.  Some of the answers included a tank, which she liked since her dad serves in the military.

Another course we elected to review consisted of a 3-week course on snowflakes.  This course includes the examination of types of mathematics found in snowflakes such as symmetry, types of lines, hexagonal prisms and more.  Our daughter appreciated the pace of the videos, the depth of the explanations as well as the printouts and slides available to download. The lesson explores geometry in snowflakes such as angles including right angles with an activity to complete.

With journaling activities, art activities, short answer questions and more the downloads in these courses provide connections and opportunities to branch off on rabbit trails to allow students to explore what interests them.

Other courses available include a 6-week Marine Biology course that examines Oceanography, Marine Plants, & Invertebrates.  The course explores the 5 major oceans, the ocean zones, waves and currents, Marine Algae and plants, Marine Diatoms and more.

Another course students may study is MathArt: Polygons and Patterns in Nature Online Course.  This course explores topics such as finding polygons and polyhedra in your own backyard, Interactive Polygons, Art connections, literature connections, the 13 Archimedean Solids, among other topics. Our daughter desires to draw manga and works consistently on this endeavor, so she was excited that one of the activities was a comic version of the story of Archimedes.

You can find NatureGlo’s eScience on Social Media at the following links.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natureglo1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@natureglo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natureglosescience/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nesschool/
YouTube: youtube.com/user/1hasc

So if you are looking for a relaxed homeschool science approach, you’ll want to check out NatureGlo’s eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle from NatureGlo’s eScience.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew are sharing their thoughts on this bundle this week. So click here or on the graphic below and read more of their reviews.

#hsreviews #homeschoolscience #homeschoolmath #homeschoolmarinebiology #homeschoolunitstudies #unitstudies
#onlineunitstudies #hs

Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level C from Institute for Excellence in Writing® – A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

If you have struggled to teach writing, I encourage you to check out Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level C from Institute for Excellence in Writing®. Very early on in our homeschooling journey, we discovered Institute for Excellence in Writing® and more specifically Mr. Andrew Pudewa. Our oldest son, in the fifth grade, detested writing with a passion. Teaching writing took on nightmarish qualities and resulted in tears. Once we discovered IEW, writing became less of a chore.

 Institute for Excellence in Writing® provides a wealth of writing resources ranging from the Structure and Style®, Fix-It! Grammar, Spelling, Teacher Helps, Professional Development and more. The Structure and Style® for Students Level C consists of a Printed spiral bound Teacher Manual, a three-ring student binder along with access to streaming videos. When we first encountered IEW years ago, the videos came in the form of DVDs. Streaming the videos allows families to take less with them if they are on the go. Also, it eliminates the concern of damaged DVDs.

One our family’s (especially my three sons) favorite things about these courses resides in the source literature choices. Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level C provides students with step-by-step instructions and guidelines for becoming proficient at writing. Designed for high school students, I feel our sons have a firm grasp on writing. With our middle two sons preparing to enter college within the next year, and a daughter nearing the end of her high school homeschooling journey I felt this course would be perfect for reviewing writing skills.

The lessons include streaming videos, exercises and homework. One of our favorite parts about the videos remains the lessons being presented in front of a live classroom. The instructional portion from the streaming videos allows me to concentrate on other things besides preparing lessons or figuring out what I want our children to complete when writing. Check out these pages from the Student notebook and the Teacher Manual.

Our daughter (and our sons when they utilized the program) appreciate being told exactly what they need to do to complete each writing assignment. The expectations provide guidance on what will be graded and what needs to be done. My daughter watches the video, follows along the assignments, completes the homework, and then hands it to me to be graded. Once graded, she places it in her notebook and moves on to the next assignment.

In Week 3, which our daughter is currently working on now, the source material is “Caesar and the Pirates”. Literature suggestions are also provided. Optional assignments from Fix It! Grammar provide an additional source of language arts material. Check out what she completed so far this week.

You can find IEW® on Social Media at the following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excellenceinwriting/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iew
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iew/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/iew/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/iewtv/featured

Truly writing produces anxiety and more in both parents/teachers and students alike. Trying to convince reluctant writers to actually write provides difficulty in the best of circumstances at times; however, Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level C from Institute for Excellence in Writing® allows families to embark on a writing journey that provides writing instruction along with the ability to include grammar and literature in a way that sheds meaning on the subject.

The biggest excitement one of my children ever had (and even though he turned 24 this summer) resulted from our oldest son riding in an elevator with Mr. Pudewa at a homeschool convention. Both in person and in the videos Mr. Pudewa’s personality and passion for writing come across. So if you are looking for a writing curriculum, I strongly recommend checking this product out for yourself.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew share their experiences and thoughts about this product this week. So click here or on the graphic below to read their reviews.

#hsreviews #iewsss, #iewfreelessons

My Teaching Library Download Club- A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

If you are looking for educational resources to add to your homeschool, be sure to check out the Download Club from My Teaching Library. With two children in high school and nearing the end of their homeschooling journey, online homeschooling resources have become valuable to our family. I love having the freedom and flexibility to select resources which work for our family. For this review, we received a one-year subscription that allows us to access all downloads and all the other resources on the site.

My Teaching Library offers the flexibility of either purchasing just the specific resource you need or getting a subscription that allows your family unlimited downloads. With resources from Pre-K to Twelfth grade, this site has a lot of resources to offer. The site offers resources for:

• Arts
• Character Education
• Electives
• Language Arts
• Languages
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Miscellaneous Areas
  • Skills and Concepts
  • Classroom management
  • Family and Home
  • and more

The site offers educational videos, diplomas, coloring pages, flash cards, and more. Families have the option to pick resources that work for their family. Whether you need materials for notebooking, worksheets, or just want items to keep younger children occupied while you teach your older children, you should be able to find waht you need on this site.

Whether you need resources for your Pre-K student or high school resources or a mix of all the grades, you may find exactly what you are looking for on this site. I loved the ease of navigating and downloading on this site. I just selected the resources I wanted to download them. Then the resources were added to my download center where I could download them all or just particular ones at one time.

Because our children are in high school, I concentrated on two major areas: math and music. We selected a Geometry resource entitled “30 Minutes A Day to Geometry” as our first resource. It comes as a PDF download. So I elected to print out some initial pages, but I also loaded it to a note-taking app to allow for learning on the go. Here are some sample pages from this book.

This Geometry book covers topics such as:

• The Basci Building Blocks of Geometry
• Types of Angles
• Working with Lines
• Measuring Angles
• and more

I selected this book for our 17-year-old daughter to use. She is not necessarily a mathematics lover, so I thought perhaps this book would be one she could make work. She found it adequate, which was acceptable to me.

The second resource I selected was The History of Music. I selected this book because our youngest son and third-born child plans on majoring in music in college. So I thought this would be the perfect homeschooling resource for him. This book covers everything from Ancient Music to Medieval Music to the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and ends with the Middle Nineteenth Century. I elected for him to just read this book and then verbally tell me different things he discovered. We are using it more than a Unit Study approach instead of a complete textbook. Here are some pages from this resource:

You can find My Teaching Library on Social Media at the following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyTeachingLibrary/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeschool_mtl
Instagram:
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lyndaackert/my-teaching-library/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLCFIasgcKaLD5lHu2x6bNA

So if you are looking for educational resources that include notebooking, homeschooling worksheets and more, you need to examine the educational resources to add to your homeschool, because the Download Club from My Teaching Library may be exactly what you need.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew are sharing their thoughts on the Download Club from My Teaching Library this week, so click here or on the graphic below to read their reviews.

#homeschooling #Homeschool #education

The LIFE Plan from The LIFE Network – A Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

 

We are using The LIFE Plan from The LIFE Network for Bible instruction.  With a husband who is an ordained Primitive Baptist preacher, I am always on the lookout for new resources for our family to use for Bible study time, since I know the importance of spending time in God’s Word.  We can not develop a deeper relationship with Him unless we spend time reading the Bible and praying.  So when we had the opportunity to review this six volume set, I was excited to examine it.

According to their website, The LIFE Network’s mission is, “The LIFE Network is dedicated to the production, publishing, presentation, and provision of Christian learning resources.”

Allen L. Elder is the author and the founder of The LIFE Network.  Perhaps because he is from South Carolina, and I called South Carolina home for a number of years or perhaps because he is an ordained minister, I felt a connection with him and therefore his resources.

All of us as Christians are called to fulfill the Great Commission of going out and creating disciples of God.  I can remember my husband’s paternal grandfather (and an ordained minister) repeatedly stating to us that he was told to go out and tell God’s People what God had done for Him and I strongly believe in that ideal.  As a parent, I want our children to be able to commit to that idea as well.

This set of 6 physical volumes are meant to be interacted with and used for your family’s own unique experience.  The six volumes include the following:

• VOLUME 1 – THE BIBLE’S STORY: GENESIS 1-11
• VOLUME 2 – ABRAHAM AND ISRAEL
• VOLUME 3 – THE STRUCTURE OF THE BIBLE
• VOLUME 4 – THE LIFE OF JESUS ON EARTH
• VOLUME 5 – THE CHURCH
• VOLUME 6 – YOUR PART IN THE STORY

Here are pictures of each volume along with pages from inside them.

 

Since our family has gone through the story of Creation and the book of Genesis numerous times, I decided we would skip to Volume 3 instead and look at the structure of the Bible first.  My intention is for our family to go through these books at a pace that allows us to dive deeper into ideas that capture our attention or that we desire to learn more about from any lesson.  I love that all you need to use these materials are the workbooks, a Bible or Bible App, some type of paper, pencils or pens, and I would recommend highlighters.

Each volume has 36 chapters.  So theoretically a family could go through one volume per school year.  Or if your family choses to do it year round, you could do it quicker than that.

Each lesson includes the aim of the lesson, background information, Scripture pages to read, outlines, a lesson glossary, and questions to complete.  At the end of each volume the answers are provided.

Our youngest child is 17, so I allowed everyone to do the reading and the questions on their own.  Then we came together to discuss the background, discuss the answers to the questions, and add any additional thoughts any of us might have had.

I appreciate that only the Scripture references are given too families can use the Bibles of their choice. Here are some pages from Volume 3 along with some pages we have completed.

You can find The LIFE Network on Social media at the following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-LIFE-Network-107086190833458/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUTsUJO23JGLPF1oi3lRZZg

So if your family is looking for a Bible curriculum designed for disciple-making check out        The LIFE Plan from The LIFE Network for yourselves.  It is worth examining.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew are sharing their thoughts and experiences with this product this week, so click here or on the graphic below to read more of their reviews.